Fabric and technology

Hard, granular fabric, which is rough to the touch but with a slightly laminar fracture; usually white or cream (e.g. 2.5YR 5/0 to 9/0 or 10YR 9/1) but sometimes more orange or buff, with pink or black core in thickest parts. Characteristic abundant inclusions of well-sorted quartz with sparser red ironstone inclusions set in a fine matrix. Gritted on the interior, and over the flange on some, with flint and coarse quartz.

For other products of the Verulamium-region industries see VRW.

Forms

Mortaria. A wide variety of rim forms occur, and some variants can be assigned to individual potters or workshops. There is a progression from forms with a deeply hooked flange, through to those with a higher bead and shorter flange. Gillam 240.

Stamps

Often stamped, sometimes with a name stamp on one side of the flange and a counterstamp (e.g. FECIT) on the other. Stamps of over 50 named potters are known, and there are additional illiterate stamps or marks. Some potters are represented by many hundreds of specimens (e.g. Albinus – the most prolific, Matugenus, Doinus) while others by only a single example, perhaps only from one of the known kiln sites. The counterstamps of three potters (Albinus, Oastrius, Q. Rutilius Ripanus) record a place name, LUGDUNUM or LUGUDUNUM, which may refer to Bricket Wood (Herts).

Potter

Date

ALBANUS

60-90

ALBINUS

60-90

<- COMO?

LUGDUNUM potter

BRUC[C]IUS

80-120

CANDIDUS

90-125

CASTUS

100-140

DEVALUS

70-100

DOCCAS

85-110

-> MHMO

DOINUS

70-110

DRICCIUS

100-145

G. ATTIUS MARINUS

100-110

<- COMO -> MHMO

GISSUS

90-140

JUNIUS

100-140

L. ARRIUS CALUDUS

65-95

LALLAIUS

80-125

MARINUS

80-125

MARTINUS

100-140

MATUGENUS

80-125

Son of ALBINUS

MELUS i

95-135

MERTUCUS

110-150

MORICAMULUS

70-110

MORINA

70-130

NIDUS

100-120

-> MHMO

NSRO

120-145

OASTRIUS

55-80

LUGDUNUM potter

OVIDUS

110-140

Q. RUTILIUS RIPANUS

55-90

LUGDUNUM potter

RAMOTUS

65-95

ROA

110-140

S. VALERIUS IV..

55-90

<- COMO

SATURNINUS i

105-140

SECUNDUS

55-90

SOLLUS

60-100

TMH

120-145

<- COMO

VIDEX

85-140

Some VRMO potters migrated to the region from elsewhere, principally Colchester (G. Attius Marinus, T.M.H, possibly Sex. Valerius Iu.., Aprilis, Severus and Albinus), and some later moved away to set up workshops in the Mancetter-Hartshill complex (G. Attius Marinus again, Doccas and Nidus). Family potting traditions are indicated by Matugenus, who records that he is the son of Albinus on some stamps.

An interesting sidelight on mortarium production in the Verulamium-region is provided by a few specimens in this ware stamped with dies that were used more commonly as official tile-stamps. These read P.P.BR.LON or P.PR.BR, which can be interpreted as p(rocuratores) p(rovinciae) Bri(tanniae) [Lon(dini)] – ‘The procurators of the province of Britain [at London]’ (/ 2485; Collingwood et al. 1993, 30).

Chronology

Production commenced before the Boudiccan revolt (c. AD 50/55), and mortaria were stamped until c. AD 155/160. Production continues on a smaller local scale until c. AD 200.

Source

Between St Albans (Verulamium) and London, near Watling Street. Kilns known at Brockley Hill, Radlett, Bricket Wood and on the outskirts of Verulamium itself.

Distribution

Mortaria have a wide, distribution across Britain, including Scottish forts and the Hadrianic frontier, but largest concentrations are at London and St Albans, each with many hundreds of stamps (see ).

Bibliography

For the kiln sites: RCHM gazetteer 97-8, F354-5, F359-62, F475-80; summary of the industry in Marsh and Tyers 1978. There is no complete published catalogue of stamps, but the most common are reported in the large collection from Verulamium (Hartley 1984). For the LUGDUNUM group: Saunders and Havercroft 1977.